It has been 40 years since students in Soweto rose up and protested against Afrikaans as a medium of instruction in schools. Looking back at some defining contributions of youth in each decade since, it appears that the youth of today are re-surfacing as active citizens, by harnessing technology to create change.

The youth of the 2000s lived the tech boom – moving from raves and pride rallies to screens and keyboards. They connected with the world in an entirely new way – through chat rooms, forums and html code. Switching from encyclopedias to Google, MXIT to Facebook and the 140-character world of Twitter, they indulged on information.
A generation on, those online platforms are being used to stir campaigns and organise drives – including the mobilisation that provided #FeesMustFall protesters with water, food and data bundles in October last year. Young …